Jan. 89, 1891.] 



FOXIEST AND STREAM. 



AUXILLIARY JfAPHTHA LAUNCH FOU CRUISING. 



duving the balance of tlie seasnu. One member of the race com- 

 mittee gave it as his opinion that when a race was once started 

 there can be no recall. The captain of the Volunteer said he 

 would not abide by any such decision, inasmuch as he had been 

 informed by the commodore that the race would be sailed off. and 

 requested that a meeting of the race committee be called. This 

 was done, and the captains and some of the members of the crews 

 of the leading boats were invited to be present on Aug. 12. The 

 commodore admitted having made the remark that the race 

 would be sailed. Capt. Bitter stated that if the commodore had 

 not given him this assurance he would have gonet>n and flnisliPd 

 the race after the worst of the storm was over. After a long dis- 

 cussion it was decided to resail the race on Aug. 17, which was 

 done, the regular races of the series following as arranged. 



About one month pre-snous to the close of the racing season 

 Capt. Fred. Rochell gave notice that he would enter protest 

 against the resailed race of Aug. 17 being counted in the cham- 

 pionship series, basing bis protest on a claim that he was informed 

 at the meeting of Aug. 13 that without this race the Volunteer 

 could not make ten races, and that in the interest of fair play he 

 had consented to resail the race; but later he had ascertained the 

 fact that the Volunteer could make ten races by counting the 

 race in which she had gone to the assistance of the tuck-up J. S. 

 Lever, which was capsized, and which race netted the Volunteer 

 one point. This question was not acted upon by the race commit- 

 tee, as it was well known that any such action would result in a 

 deadlock in the committee, which is composed as follows: E. P. 

 MacAUister, Commodore; Fred. Rochell, Vice-Commodore; E. A. 

 Leopold, Secretary; Albert Rochell, Timor. The Rochell brothers 

 would have voted that the resailed race should be thrown out, 

 while the other members of the committee would have voted that 

 tlie race was legal. 



A meeting of the club was called Oct. 14 for the purpose of de- 

 ciding the championship question and awarding the prize. 



Capt. Rochell, after making two protests against Volunteer, 

 which were not allowed, objected to the resailed race being 

 counted in the record, on the ground that he had not been notified 

 by the commodore that the race was off and would be resailed. 

 On the other hand, it was contended tliat the race could have 

 heon continued after the storm had the commodore so ordered, 

 but ihft t he ordered a resail at a future date. 



A long and heated discussion followed, during which it became 

 necessary at times for the older members of the club to inform 

 some of the hot-headed youngsters that the question must be 

 settled by argument and ballot, and that a resort to any other 

 means of settlement would not be allowed. It was suggested that 

 tlie Volunteer and Nellie sail one race to decide the championship, 

 but neither would agree to this. It was then proposed to give each 

 a prize, hut they would not accppt. Mr. William Rochell, Sr., the 

 oldest member of the club, proposed that we ''sail it all over next 

 year." This was not agreed to. Five of Mr. Rochell's sons are 

 members of the club, and they were all present, After about two 

 hours' discussion a call was made for a report of the record of 

 each boat for the season. The secretary reported as follows. 



Boat. Captain, Points. Races. 



Volunteer G. W. Rifter 89.43 10 



Nellie Fred Rochell H7.39 10 



Stranger E. P. MacAllister 7^i.54 10 



Igidious J. L. Hallman 71.43 10 



J. S. Lever J. S. Lever 43.64 10 



lola Geo. Walker 31.37 6 



Vestivius Alfred Rochell 29.53 7 



Gracie E. A. Leopold 28.43 10 



Sadie G. W. Ritter 33.44 3 



Katie L . . . W. M. Mairs 20.08 4 



Starlight. L. G. Palmer 11.00 3 



Priscilla W. Scbnipp 7.70 3 



MaryL , . . ...N. McCov 7.78 5 



Lizzie B W. M. Snllivan 5.00 3 



J. S. Frith 1. S. Frith 4.76 3 



Pennsylvania T. Adamson 6.00 3 



Scott W. Shine 1.00 1 



Flying Eagle J. Reeb 1.00 1 



A motion was made to accept the report as read. The motion 

 was lost by a vote of 9 to 6. The treasurer reported all debts paid 

 and a balance of 881.18 in the treasury. Moved and seconded that 

 tlie club disband. Carried unanimously. 



E. A. Leopold, Seo'y and Treas. 



THE "COUPE DE FRANCE."— The permanent organization 

 of the Comit6 de Yacht Frangais, to which we have lately alluded, 

 has been completed, and a meeting was held on Jan. 6 at the office 

 of Le YaoliU at which it was resolved to establish a cup to be 

 called tiie "Coupe de France," as a prize for an international 

 yacht race in French waters, under the rule of the "Union des 

 Soci6te3 de Navigation de Plaisanoe Maritime." The race will be 

 sailed in 1892. A public subscription, which promises to be suc- 

 cessful, has been opened to secure funds for the venture. The 

 immediate end. of the committee is to foster the construction of 

 racing yachts in Prance, as the first step toward a successful par- 

 ticipation in international racing. 



CORINTHIAN MOSQUITO FLEET.-At the meeting of the 

 Corinthian Mosquito Fleet on Jan. 19. the following officers were 

 elected; Com., Oswald Sanderson; Vice-Corn., Waltei- Thomp- 

 son; Sec, Harold S. Forwood; Treas., John A. Starr; Regatta 

 Committee, Dr. Theodore S. Ledyard, J. M. Williams and Dr. P. 

 S. Grant. 



CHOCTAW.— The new owners of Choctaw are Hon. C. F. BMwn, 

 of the Newburgh Canoe and Boating Association, Com. H. C. 

 Higglnson and Mr. G. Van Nostrand, of the Orange Lake Ice 

 Yacht Club. 



SULTANA, steam yacht, Mr. T. L. Park, is reported by cable 

 as having grounded stern foremost on a rock in the harbor of Port 

 Mahon, Inland of Minorca, in a heavy gale, the extent of the dam- 

 age not being stated. On Jan. 27 she arrived at Marseilles. 



WENONAH, cutter, is reported sold by Mr. Jas. Stillmaa to H. 

 O, Cook, of New Bedford. Wenonah was one of the first large 

 cutters built in this country. 



THE AUXILIARY NAPHTHA LAUNCH. 



NEARLY a year since, on Feb. 13, 1890, we published the interior 

 plans and description of an auxiliary naphtha launch, the 

 Etcetera, an experiment in the way of naphtha launches that has 

 proved quite a success after two years trial. The accompanying 

 drawings, for which we are indebted to the builders, the Gas 

 Engine & Power Co., of New York, show a newer craft of the 

 same description, now building for an extended cruise from the 

 coast to the Great Lakes. This yacht will be rigged like the 

 Etcetera, with mainsail, jib and mizen, the model including sulTi- 

 cient keel for sailing purposes. The dimensions are: 



Length over all .35ft. 



L.W.L 31ft. 3tn. 



Beam extreme 8ft. 6in. 



L.W.L 8ft. lin. 



Draft extreme 3ft. 



Least freeboard 1ft. S^i^n. 



Sheer bow Itt. 9in. 



stern ^J^iu. 



The frame is of oak, the timbers being all Steamed and bent, 

 and every care is taken to secure the strength which is so im- 

 portant in a cruising craft. The interior arrangement will be 

 similar to that of the Etcetera, but the cabin will be smaller in 

 proportion to the added length of the boat, giving acccommoda- 

 tions tor four men; the large open cockpit will he fitted with a 

 tent and awning under which the cooking will be done and where 

 part of the crew will ^leep, except in very bad weather. The 

 motive power will be one of the new ten horse-power naphtha 

 engines, placed in the usual position, in the stern, thus leaving 

 the greater part of the boat unencumbered by the engines and 

 boiler. A small lead keel is provided as a steadier. In such a boat 

 a party of three or four can spend the summer in cruising of the 

 most enjoyable sort, finding their way at will )}y river and canal 

 to almost any part of the country, and cruising in these craft is 

 each year becoming more popular. The cleanly and compact 

 nature of the fuel, and the ease with which it can be obtained, are 

 great points in its favor. 



SENATE BILL 4-821. 



THE proposal to exclude by legislative action the foreign-built 

 ;yachts now racing in American waters has thus far met with 

 general condemnation' from the yachtsmen of New York; and 

 though Boston has not yet been heard from, her sailormen will 

 no doubt oppose the measure as soon as its full import is fully 

 understood. We quote the following from the report of the Com- 

 missioner of Navigation for 1890, lately published: 



"Yachts of Foreign Build Used in the United States.— Consid- 

 erable complaint has been circuluted by the press and otherwise 

 because foreign-built, but American-owned and chartered vachts 

 fly toe American yachting ensign and are freely used in the United 

 States to the exclusion of vessels of American build. The practice 

 of obtaining such ve'^sels for use here arose from the privilege 

 granted by Section 4216, Revised Stututes, which allows any yacht 

 to leave a port without a clearance if the foreign nation to which 

 it belongs grants a similar privilege. 



"It will be seen that this privilege may easily be abused, and 

 that vessels might be introduced with a view to their remaining 

 in the United States permanently, without payment of duties, 

 something that was obviously not contemplated !Sy the law. The 

 existing legislation upon the subject is vague and complicated, 

 and this office has experienced much difficulty in Folving the 

 various riddles presented relating to the matter. The Bureau has 

 not held that these vessels may be retained for use here, and con- 

 siders that such use would be an offense against the laws. A con- 

 trary opinion is expressed by interested parties. The regulations 

 governing yachts state that such vessels, navigating without docu- 

 ments become subject to disabilities. No case involving the dis- 

 puted points has been submitted to the courts so far as this office 

 18 aware, and the question as to what disabilities are incurred, 

 therefore, has not tieen judicially determined. To allow the free 

 impor'ation of these vessels into the United States would he un- 

 just to builders here. Additional legislation seems necessary, and 

 it is suggested that section 4316 ba amended by the addition thereto 

 of the following provision: 



"Any such vessel, howevei', remaining in the United States a 

 longer period than six months in any one year, or sold to, or be- 

 coming the property of, a citizen of the United States, or char- 

 tered from the owner, shall become subject to duties at the rate 

 of $30 per gross ton, and if navigated in the United States shall 

 become subject to a tonnage tax of $1 per ton at every port at 

 which she may arrive. Any vessel, whether used as a" pleasure 

 vessel, yacht or otherwise, and whether of foreign or domestic 

 built or ownership, not documented by the Government of the 

 United States and not otherwise provided for by law. found navi- 

 gating between district and district, or between different places 

 in the same district, shall be liable to a fine of |I00. 



"Any vessel, not documented as a yacht of the United States, 

 displaying the yacht ensign prescribed by law shall be liable to a 

 fine of |oO." 



We have had occasion to follow very closely the history of the 

 introduction of foreign yachts in America, a matter only of the 

 past ten years, and in this time we have found little or no com- 

 plaint on the part of yachtsmen or of the press, against the 

 presence of these craft. The fact is generally recognized to-day 

 that to foreign competition alone is due the great stride in Ameri- 

 can yachting from the ancient wooden tubs of the seventies to the 

 Volunteer and Gossoon of the present time. It may be that there 

 are builders, or even desigoers, so blind as to favor for temporary 

 gain a measure like this, but the gi'eat body of yachtsmen, to- 

 gether with all interested in the production of yachts, are well 

 aware that international racing and the sharp competition of 

 foreign designers is the life and stimulus of American yachting. 



This is an era of protection, and if other industries are to enjoy 

 its alleged benefits it would be unfair to exclude yacht building, 

 and a tariff on yachts would be no more unjust than on other 

 foreign products. Oa this poiat, however, the logic of the report 

 is very much at fault, aud in no way in harmony even with the 

 theory of protection. 



Any posable injustice to yacht builders, as suggested by the 

 report, could be overcome by the imposition of a duty on foreign 

 built yachts, such as the proposed bill calls for. It does not fol- 

 low, however, from any of the premises that it is necessary, after 

 a man has paid duty on his yacht, that he must be prohibited from 

 racing or even sailing her in order to protect American builders. 

 Granting that, aa stated, "to allow the free importation of these 

 (foreign built) vessels, would bo unjust to builders here." then all 

 that is secessary is to make them subject to duty; which, once 

 paid, they are free to sail at will. To impose on them a tonnage 

 tax which would so tie themupini-ed tape that they would be 

 unable to sail from port to port with the fleet of native built craft, 

 is a serious injustice; but the act does not rest even here. There 

 is no provision by which a foreign built yacht can be documented 

 as a vessel of the United States, so that the whole sum and sub- 

 stance of the act is to hamper as far as possible yachts of genuine 

 foreign ownership which may visit temporarily American waters, 

 and to prohibit entirely the ownei ship of these yachts by Ameri- 

 cans. 



This sort of protection goes far beyond the mere builders and 

 reaches the designers, and while these gentlemen are no less en- 

 titled to the beneflfs of the protective system than other Ameri- 

 can citizens, we have not found any yet who are looking for a, 

 handicap in their favor in their contests with the designs of the 

 Clyrlo. 



We have studied carefully the voluminous report of the 

 Commissioner of Navigation, covering a wide range of subjects 

 relating to American shipping, but we fail to find a word for 

 yachts or yachting. The sole mention of this most important 

 subject Is in the form of recommendations such as those above, 

 for restrictions and penalties on American as well as foreign 

 pleasure craft. There is not a word in favor of such exemptions 

 and privileges as might easily be conferred on pleasure vessels 

 without injustice to merchant craft or conflict with the shipping 

 laws; but on the contrary the attempt is made to force the yachts- 

 man into compliance with laws made for large merchant vessels 

 and not for yachts. Not only are Minerva and Clara placed on a 

 level with the ordinary tramp "lime-juicer," but their American 

 sisters, though faring much better, must comply with the same 

 laws that were made for the coaster and the collier. 



THE MEASUREMENT OF SAIL AREA. 

 'j^HE Brooklyn Y. C. has for a year past used the Seawanhaka 

 rule, or as its basis of allowance, but as the fleet Is 



composed of cattioats and sloops, the former rig including most of 

 the racing craft, the method and measurement used by the 

 Seawanhaka C. Y. C. has been replaced by a measurement of 

 the actual area as nearly as possible as given in the following re- 

 port of the club measurer at the annual meeting this month: 

 To the President and Memb&rs of the Brooklyn Y. C : 



The fleet of the club at the end of the year 1890 comprised 52 

 craft. 



Of this number the following are measured: Vida, Homing, 

 Faustina. Bess, Carrie, Seneca, Irene, Brminie, Union, Seminole, 

 Minnie, Grace, Manhattan, Alice, Ponchito, Alma. Myra, Ger- 

 trude, Mull, Luna, Grimalkin, Killdee, Rose; total 33. 



The following are partly measured, by which is meant sufficient 

 measurements were ascertained to rate in case of entry for a re- 

 gatta: Mamie, Chief. .Josephine, Siren, White Wings, Mabel, 

 Owl, Ray, Iroquois, Isolde, Daisy, Gipsy, Studio; total 13. 



The following have not been measured; Bijou, Effle. Phoenix, 

 Gorilla, Sunbeam, Sophia, La|Cignale, Mariquita, Aimee, Gladia- 

 tor, Lotus, Wacondah, Sinbad, JEoIus, Circe, Decoy; total 16. 



I have the pleasure to report also that measurements have gen- 

 erally given satisfaction, very few indeed questioning accuracy, 

 and a moment's explanation satisfied them; hence the club can 

 be congratulated on the absence of disputes and protests arising 

 from questions of measurements, especially as the last season 

 was our first exp?rienoe in combining or compounding sail meas- 

 urements with hull dimensions. 



Concerning my experience as measurer last season I have 

 found no angular measurements of spars of mainsail yachts bear- 

 ing resemblance to the S. C. Y. 0. for sloops, cutters, etc., can be 

 relied on for giving satisfactory results for our requirements of 

 actual area. 



Concerning our rule, actual area for mainsail yachts, I have 

 found difficulty in getting true measurements. At the commence- 

 ment of my work I took second and third measurements of several 

 yachts to ascertain whether a satisfactory mean could be deter- 

 mined, but found the safer plan was to measure spars and the 

 after leach on a direct line, when sail was dry and hoisted to 

 position carried on the particular yacht. 



For the future I would recommend measuring mainsail yachts 

 as follows: 



Ascertain length of gaff and boom each from after side of mast 

 to end of each— the luff (when gaflE is hoisted as closely as possible 

 to throat halliard block on masr)— from the underside of the gafiE 

 jaws along after side of the mast to top of saddle or lower band of 

 gooseneck, the distance from upper point of luff measurement to 

 the end of the boom and the distance from the lower point of luff 

 measurement to end of gaff when peaked up full extent sail per- 

 mits, and make a draft to scale and calculate area. 



Concerning measurements of other rigs I find the square root of 

 sail measurement generally exceeds the load waterline, which 

 places a tax on the boats. The "compound rating" is the rule of 

 other clubs, and has for a base line an establishment of equality 

 of load waterline and square root of sail plan as delineating a 

 medium rigged boat. We can be scarcely accused of having yachts 

 carrying immoderate sail area, yet the rule puts us somewhat in 

 that position, as most of the boats are taxed. RespnctfuUy sub- 

 mitted. R. C. Hopkins, Meas. 



FORTY OR FORTY.SI.S FEBT,-Mr, John B, Paine has a 46ft. 

 as well as » 40ft. design ready, aud is not decided which to build 

 from. 



